"The Coimbatore bombings were the biggest terrorist attack in India since the 1993 Mumbai carnage. The saboteurs chose Valentine’s Day to carry out 12 blasts at 11 different locations of the city. Around 58 families lost their loved ones in this tragedy. The bombs exploded just before Advani had reached a rally which he was going to be addressing. In fact, one of the bombs was detonated barely 800 metres from his podium. Mahdani had a reputation for making venomous speeches before the blasts. He had formed an organisation called the Islamic Sevak Sangh to rally Muslim youth. Such organisations were a lucrative breeding ground for the ISI’s activities."